From Schubert to Shostakovich

NSO's Choice

From Schubert to Shostakovich


2017-04-28 Fri 19:30National Concert Hall 400 700 1000 1200 1500Buy
OLEG CAETANI, conductor
GÁBOR BOLDOCZKI, trumpet

FRANZ SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 3, D. 200, D major
KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI: Concertino for Trumpet and Orchestra
DMITRI SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 15, Op. 141, A major

Shostakovich’s 15th and final symphony (1971) is a truly fascinating, enigmatic score. In some ways it is a throwback to the 19th century. In others, it could only be from the 20th. It has no “program,” but every listener will inevitably find a personal “meaning” in it, based on quotations Shostakovich incorporated from Wagner, Glinka, and even the “Lone Ranger” theme from Rossini’s opera William Tell. Penderecki’s Trumpet Concertino (2015) features Hungarian virtuoso Gábor Boldoczki, who gave the world premiere in Germany. “To me,” says Boldoczki, “this work has a huge importance, as it is a showcase for the trumpet with all it has to offer, especially in terms of virtuosity.” To open the program we hear a thoroughly delightful, early symphony of Schubert, brimming with melody and good cheer.